Ronald Reagan’s political philosophy was in its infancy during his early years in Hollywood and throughout World War II. Maturation would have to wait for the turbulent postwar years, when the nation finally began to pay attention to the communist threat and when Reagan, as the public face of General Electric, received on-the-job training in free-market economics. Reagan never turned his back fully on his presidential hero, but he did at least come to the realization that leadership style cannot overcome the effects of bad policy.